tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61245497862669653412018-03-05T09:10:54.575-08:00Mommies are FabulousSarahnoreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-49453304828849307532011-02-14T14:35:00.000-08:002011-02-14T14:36:50.732-08:00Happy Valentine's Day!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1MuglxQAoKA/TVmuTFmjUtI/AAAAAAAAFFU/eQfH8V_jpGQ/s1600/My%2Bvalentine1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1MuglxQAoKA/TVmuTFmjUtI/AAAAAAAAFFU/eQfH8V_jpGQ/s320/My%2Bvalentine1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573677656792322770" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Well, my goal of posting more often has certainly failed. </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Facebook</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> is just so easy when I have a random thought. Anyway, Happy Valentine's Day! I got this little valentine from my kids this morning (and thanks to my husband who helped!). So sweet. My husband and I have a Valentine's Day routine of watching a movie and eating a fun dessert. Something we figured we could do no matter where we were! I hope you all have a lovely day. And now I will leave you with this little gem from one of the best shows EVER, "30 Rock".</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><iframe width="425" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uXMv6A3mKVA?fs=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-75481449385167876152010-12-05T19:28:00.000-08:002010-12-05T20:14:42.869-08:00Quit your griping...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Could it have BEEN any longer since I've posted? To be fair, things have been very busy around here, as we've been on the house hunt (and put in an offer on a short sale - we're waiting to hear back!), a trip to Arkansas for my great-grandfather's 99</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">th</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> birthday, and starting up my photography business. I've lamely tried to have my random thoughts posted on my </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Facebook</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> page but it's just no excuse for an honest-to-goodness blog entry. It's my goal to post more often, so for those who follow this blog, there will be something to actually read!</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">So here we are.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">As it's the Christmas season, we've had more get-</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">togethers</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"> with friends and I'm at our church a lot more for Sunday School Christmas program rehearsals. As a result I have been around a lot of moms...and their complaints. Complaints about no time for themselves, no adult interaction, and no peace. As a mom of two (son I, 3 years and daughter J, 17 months), I know I'm not nearly as busy as mothers of three or more and can't imagine how hectic things can get once kids are in school. I know that many mothers work and have very limited amounts of time to get errands and other "chores" done while I am very fortunate to stay at home and can get things done while the kids are napping and can run out with them during the day. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">But you know what? I don't want to hear it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I don't want to hear your complaints. I'm sorry you're stressed and even as a mother of only two young children, I know that you need time to yourself so you don't get burned out - we all do (yes, me too!). But I'm done with it. Perhaps I'm being a bit rash in that I know different families have different needs and there are very different situations. I know a rested happy mommy is a good mommy and yes, moms deserve time to do things they want (dads do too!) so just do it and be done with it. I'm just so tired of hearing moms talk about how they're so busy with their kids and have no time to themselves. That they've "lost their identity" and that they don't "know who they are anymore". Sorry if that all sounds mean or just super bitchy, but if I hear one more mother complain about having no time to do what they want or being with their kids all week by themselves (because, YEAH, I am too), I'm going to lose it. I will give one "bye" - my friend C. who has six kids. That lady gets a medal and a lifetime free pass to a spa.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Please note: this rant is only in response to complaints I've heard from mothers in my various circles of life and I promise - all are in situations in which there is a very loving father/husband involved who is able and willing to give these moms a break. This post is purely for entertainment purposes. I know that there are situations in which mothers become depressed or even threats to their children's safety as well as their own because of feeling overwhelmed, stretched too thin, and/or have a husband/extended family who is not willing to help out. I hope that any woman in this situation can find the help she needs to keep herself and her children safe.</span></div>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-57657787657945156562010-08-17T14:21:00.000-07:002010-08-18T14:43:53.425-07:00To feed or not to feed...publicly<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">First off, apologies. This is my first post in a very long time. I have been so distracted lately that I've been neglecting this blog but I have so many thoughts/rants going through my head that I've definitely needed to write them down. The first is one that has been a sort of "hot button" topic for a while and probably will be for some time.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Breastfeeding in public.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Now I know that 44 states have laws with language allowing women to breastfeed in public (http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=14389) and in California, for instance, women are allowed to breastfeed in public whether they are covered up or not. As a mother of two who was fortunate enough to be able to breastfeed her children, I think that this is fantastic. In the past 30 or so years, there has been a return to breastfeeding and doing things as naturally as possible for your children. And as we all know, prior to formula being invented, women breastfed their children for thousands of years. It's the way our bodies were created - to carry, then nurture, and feed our children. So. Why the animosity towards breastfeeding in public? I can understand in 1800 when it was indecent to show your ankles, that a woman would feed her baby in the privacy of her own home or tucked away in private.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">However. It is 2010. Boobs are everywhere. Maybe it's that people are uncomfortable with seeing a whole breast, nipple and all, all of a sudden. But still. This is a BABY. A baby needs to eat and a mother is the source of that baby's food. Why not allow a mother to feed her child when he/she needs it? Nursing a child is not a sexual use of a boob - believe me. Is it really that wrong and offensive to nurse a child in public? I think it's amazing that in our world today where so much is tolerated and a person is considered "close minded" if they don't agree with a certain lifestyle or religion that seeing a woman simply nursing her child could cause so much raucous. I found an article about a woman in Michigan nearly being ARRESTED because she was nursing her baby in a Target (http://hellobeautiful.com/special-features/jeanene-james/woman-almost-gets-arrested-for-breastfeeding-in-target/). There is a video about the story too. All I can say is that opponents of public </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">breastfeeders</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> had better stay out of their local Babies-R-Us stores - there are tons of women walking around feeding their babies and they would probably join forces and gang up on any opposition.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Now, a question I have is this: even though we have a legal right to nurse in public, would people really be so up in arms if the breastfeeding mother was covered up? I have a nursing cover which I use whenever I'm in public or around family or friends who I want to be modest in front of (I know my sister who doesn't have kids appreciates it!). I've seen other women at stores or restaurants doing the same. I have, though, seen women just "whip it out" and begin nursing their children. </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Sidenote</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">: I don't have a problem with this, but I know that before I had kids, I was a little anxious about it (not a PROBLEM - just anxious). I was a bit anxious because I was afraid that the woman might be embarrassed if her breast was suddenly exposed when putting baby on and off. Recently we were at a museum and there was a woman sitting on a bench feeding her baby and she wasn't covered. When the baby was done, she was laying the baby down in the stroller and messing with blankets and such but her boob was still hanging out. Some teenage boys were just watching at her, not saying anything, and the woman looked up, realized they were looking at her naked boob and snapped at them, something to the effect of "you're such perverts...wait until you have a kid of your own". Could she really blame the boys? They're young and hormonal and this was a real live boob out for all to see. All I'm saying is that if she had a cover, all of that could have been avoided. I know that when I would see a woman nursing in public with a cover, I never got anxious as I knew I wouldn't get a "show"...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Anyway, could all of this craziness with harassing breastfeeding mothers be avoided if women were covered up? Not that nursing without one is wrong, but could it? I know some people are just very modest and don't want to see </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">someone's</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> boob, no matter what, just because of that modesty and I think that that should be respected. Note that these people don't have a problem with a breastfeeding mother nursing in public, they just don't want to see boobs. Now I'm not telling anyone what to do, of course, but perhaps just being a little more discreet, whether by using a nursing cover or just by not letting your boob hang out ten minutes past when baby is done feeding, there might not be such an uproar about it all. But whether we're discreet or not, the bottom line is that breastfeeding anywhere is a right a mother has for her child she should never be told she can't do it.</span></div>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-53538011304477331532010-05-02T14:47:00.000-07:002010-05-02T14:47:00.898-07:00Bubbles!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S9dcAuBjP_I/AAAAAAAAD54/wi2hiLS2Zos/s1600/DSC_0034+resize.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464937840261677042" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S9dcAuBjP_I/AAAAAAAAD54/wi2hiLS2Zos/s320/DSC_0034+resize.JPG" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;">I hate sticky messes but we had such a beautiful day last week that I put away my hang-ups and we sat outside and blew bubbles. We had bubble solution everywhere but seeing my son run around chasing bubbles and laughing those great belly laughs was the best.</span></div>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-57065712669679422522010-04-30T14:43:00.000-07:002010-04-30T14:43:00.446-07:00Pretty girl<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S9dbIRtEYoI/AAAAAAAAD5w/jDDo-XKLrWA/s1600/DSC03995+resize.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464936870586901122" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S9dbIRtEYoI/AAAAAAAAD5w/jDDo-XKLrWA/s320/DSC03995+resize.JPG" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;">I got this dress on super sale at Janie &amp; Jack when my daughter was about three weeks old. I have been dying for her to wear it and she's finally big enough. I love that store - check out the sales rack and you can find some high quality clothes for the same price as Target clothes (which I also adore).</span></div>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-16034116853416238922010-04-27T14:37:00.000-07:002010-04-27T14:42:12.858-07:00I love Costco<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S9daEarRqmI/AAAAAAAAD5o/4cjMixAOj2A/s1600/DSC03916+resize.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464935704764197474" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S9daEarRqmI/AAAAAAAAD5o/4cjMixAOj2A/s320/DSC03916+resize.JPG" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;">Right now the budget is tight so we don't get to go crazy at Costco, but we buy our milk, eggs, cheese, Cheerios, tortillas, diapers and wipes there. We save a fortune on this stuff, especially the milk and cheese seeing as we go through it in no time. The best part of it? Their giant carts hold two kids up on top which allows me to do my shopping there without having to put all my groceries on the bottom only to have them roll out.</span></div>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-29046123955035218402010-04-13T15:43:00.001-07:002010-04-13T15:44:34.780-07:00Easter basket treasures<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S8Tzthoz4NI/AAAAAAAAD2o/73dtfrhSI0M/s1600/59+resize.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 213px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459756611729088722" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S8Tzthoz4NI/AAAAAAAAD2o/73dtfrhSI0M/s320/59+resize.JPG" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;">Nothing says "Easter" like foam swords. And yes, there are two because one is for my husband...</span></div>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-19114000844105828712010-04-05T15:23:00.001-07:002010-04-05T15:29:32.278-07:00This whole vampire thing is WAY out of control<span style="font-size:130%;">Yesterday, right before our lovely Easter Sunday service, a BAT appeared from the balcony and flew around the whole church. I know there's been a recent obsession with vampires lately - True Blood? Twilight? - but that didn't keep me from being terrified it was going to poop on me and wreck my nice new shirt.</span>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-31106729421308138172010-03-29T14:31:00.000-07:002010-03-29T15:51:11.092-07:00My story<span style="font-size:130%;">I am one of those women who always wanted to be a mother. I never knew when it would happen, but there was always an image in my mind that one day I would have kids. March 9, 2006 I found out I was pregnant. My husband and I had been married 2 1/2 years and it felt like we were in a good place to start our family. I was so excited. I looked at little baby clothes, hopped online to look at mommy-to-be discussion boards, and made sure I was eating lots of fruits and vegetables and taking my prenatal vitamins. I had an appointment with the prenatal nurse and got all my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">blood work</span> done. About a month after finding out I was pregnant, I finally had my first doctor appointment. We had an ultrasound and got to see our little baby. I had tears streaming down my face. The nurse practitioner performing the ultrasound said she thought she saw a heartbeat but the baby was still pretty little so it was hard to see much. During the examination she pressed gently on my belly to ensure all was well and said "yup - a little pregnant uterus!" I was on cloud nine. Two days later I began to bleed. I went into the doctor again and she performed an ultrasound. The baby was measuring smaller than last time and there was no heartbeat. It was pretty much what I expected - I had miscarried. Fortunately I didn't have to have a D&amp;C as my body took care of everything but I was an emotional wreck. My husband and I hugged and cried. I just wanted to be pregnant again. I cried every day, multiple times a day, for weeks. No one can prepare you for the devastation of miscarriage. Here you have all these plans for this little baby the second the strip turns pink, and suddenly it all goes away. I would see pregnant women or women with tiny babies and just long for what they had. I had a couple friends who were pregnant with their second or third babies, and while I was happy for them, I was also heartbroken and, honestly, a bit resentful. How come they get to have lots of babies and I can't even carry one? Time passed and finally what would have been my due date arrived. After that, any pregnant women I saw just made me angry. Why couldn't I have that too? I prayed every day for another chance to get pregnant, sometimes crying as I did. I know that God has a plan for us and know that things happen for a reason, but it was still just so hard to go through.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Only my immediate family, in-laws, and a couple close friends knew I had been pregnant (so I didn't have to "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">un</span>-tell" a large number of people) and I heard a couple stories from those women who had miscarried. I never even knew they had gone through that. It's like, no one ever talks about miscarriage until you hear about someone who's just gone through one, and then suddenly all these people come out of the woodwork saying that they've had one too. I guess I understand, though. Going through one myself, at the time I felt so ashamed that I'd miscarried. I was almost <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">embarrassed</span> about it. Also, it was still a very fresh memory that I didn't want to relive any time soon. I started spending a lot of time on the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Internet</span> searching for stories of women who had miscarried and pregnancy success after miscarriage. The more I researched and talked to people, the more I realized how common miscarriage actually is. Women who've had one need to know that they're not alone. They may not want to talk about it, but they need to find comfort in knowing that it IS common, and that whenever they're ready to discuss it, there are people ready to listen.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">After my miscarriage, I talked to my ob/<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">gyn</span> about what we could do to get me pregnant and stay pregnant. In my obsessive quest for answers, I came across women discussing <a href="http://www.womenshealth.gov/faq/polycystic-ovary-syndrome.cfm"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">polycystic</span> ovarian syndrome (<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">PCOS</span>)</a> and after reading the symptoms of it, thought I might have it and asked my doctor about the possibility of my having it. Let me just say, that I LOVE my doctor. She is amazing and a real advocate for her patients. It had been about three months since the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">miscarriage</span> and I'd only had one period and waiting on the next to arrive - it had been over 40 days. We discussed how my cycles were always very irregular and that the skin under my arms is a little dark. She had some <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">blood work</span> done to test the some of my hormone levels and when the numbers came back and weren't normal, she made the diagnosis that I had <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">PCOS</span>. Just a note: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">PCOS</span> isn't something that you can take a test for and find out you have it, but rather it's a diagnosis a doctor makes based on a number of symptoms. So. What to do now? As <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">PCOS</span> is linked to insulin resistance, my doctor put me on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-error">metformin</span>, a drug often used with diabetics. In women with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">PCOS</span>, it can often help a woman to ovulate. If nothing happened after three months of "trying" using the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">metformin</span>, she would put me on <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-error">Clomid</span> for a few months to see if we had any success with that. I was also keeping track of my ovulation with the "pee on a stick" tests just to see if I was indeed ovulating. Well, my cycles were still really long, but I WAS ovulating, which I considered a good sign. My next doctor appointment was in January 2007. At this point, if I hadn't yet gotten pregnant, I would get the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-error">Clomid</span>. Well, on January 6, 2007, I found out I was pregnant! At my appointment, my doctor had the regular prenatal <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">blood work</span> done as well as testing my progesterone levels. Most women with <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" class="blsp-spelling-error">PCOS</span> don't produce enough progesterone to keep the pregnancy going until the placenta takes over at the end of the first trimester. Sure enough - my levels were low, so my doctor started me on progesterone supplements (I used <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" class="blsp-spelling-error">Prochieve</span>). Week 7 - had an ultrasound and saw the heartbeat. Week 8 - heard the heartbeat. Week 9 - saw baby moving around. At week 13, I had an ultrasound and my doctor said that the placenta was well formed so I could stop taking the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" class="blsp-spelling-error">metformin</span> and progesterone. I was terrified to stop, but did and in September 2007, we welcomed our son, I, now 2 1/2 years old.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">My <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">husband</span> and I went through a lot between finding out we were pregnant, the miscarriage, the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" class="blsp-spelling-error">metformin</span> trial, and finally being pregnant with our son. I am fully aware that the time we went through it all is nothing compared to some people who try years to get pregnant and are even still trying. I am sharing my story in hopes that someone who is suffering from a miscarriage or has <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" class="blsp-spelling-error">PCOS</span> and is wondering if they can get pregnant, can find comfort and hope that it is possible and they're not alone. Also, if you have any questions about anything I did, please feel free to leave a comment.</span>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-61118954506474118702010-03-23T14:59:00.001-07:002010-03-23T15:16:33.960-07:00Shameful Mom Moment #427<span style="font-size:130%;">When I'm at the mall, I'll often pop into See's to get a small piece of chocolate for myself, as well as the samples they give out. When the lady saw my daughter, she asked if she could have a piece. My eight-month old? I said "of course she can!" and then ate it along with my sample when we were out of the store. The same thing would happen with my son when he was her age. Is it so wrong that I am using my kids to get an extra piece of candy?</span>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-40333694233163633012010-03-17T21:40:00.001-07:002010-03-17T21:41:08.025-07:00Pigtails<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S6Gu3DskHKI/AAAAAAAADxY/gLtyaIMcIoo/s1600-h/DSC03848+resize.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449829285003271330" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S6Gu3DskHKI/AAAAAAAADxY/gLtyaIMcIoo/s320/DSC03848+resize.JPG" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;">Some days just call for pigtails.</span></div>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-10802018421957124652010-03-15T13:37:00.000-07:002010-03-15T13:54:24.840-07:00The time has come...<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S56eZMA6q2I/AAAAAAAADvw/GHXH8qc1idw/s1600-h/DSC03841+resize.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448966754723867490" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S56eZMA6q2I/AAAAAAAADvw/GHXH8qc1idw/s320/DSC03841+resize.JPG" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;">Don't let the smiling frog toilet fool you. </span><span style="font-size:130%;">I am now in a new sort of personal hell: we've started my two-year-old son potty training. It's only Day 4 and he's doing great but I'M the one who's all panic-y and breaking out in a sweat every five minutes. My son can be pretty laid back about changes and potty training is no different. He has no problem going 1 or 2 in his little toilet but when he's wearing his training underpants, he just goes and doesn't tell us (unless it's a particularly uncomfortable number 2). Therefore, we've gone ahead to the "no pants" training method while at home so there's no nice little place for him to go. He's done well with it as he goes to his toilet when he feels like he needs to, he goes, proudly tells us, we wash hands, and he gets to put a sticker on his board. But seeing him run around without pants on has me watching him like a hawk to make sure a little bare bottom doesn't try to sit on my couch or that my wood floors stay dry. Any potty training stories to share?</span></div>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-26401037596143338352010-02-25T15:22:00.000-08:002010-02-25T15:22:00.269-08:00Bob<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S4RjQO6H5_I/AAAAAAAADsY/iF3FwHzIQQk/s1600-h/DSC03586+resize.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441583380301342706" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S4RjQO6H5_I/AAAAAAAADsY/iF3FwHzIQQk/s320/DSC03586+resize.JPG" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;">Of all the times my son can work my last nerve, there are a million other times he does something that just touches my heart. Recently we were at a park and we found a ladybug. I asked for his name and he said "Bob". He stared at it so intently and just watched it crawl over his fingers. Well, he decided to then take Bob down the slide but Bob flew away mid-journey. He looked at me with his hands out, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">shrugged</span> his shoulders and asked "Bob?" I told him Bob flew home, he repeated me, and then went on down the slide. Such a cute interest in that ladybug made me forget all about the tantrum he threw that morning...</span></div>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-14043229686798064632010-02-19T14:54:00.000-08:002010-02-19T14:54:00.209-08:00At least he obeyed<span style="font-size:130%;">Recently as I was making lunch, my daughter, 7 months, was fussing on her blanket while my son, 2, was running through my kitchen driving me crazy. I asked him to go over to his sister and give her a toy and to kiss her head because she was sad (and to get him out of my hair). It couldn't have been more than 10 seconds and when I came around the corner, I saw this.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S3RMTxtkMMI/AAAAAAAADpE/hJlb7h38B8U/s1600-h/DSC03453+resize.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437054552788709570" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S3RMTxtkMMI/AAAAAAAADpE/hJlb7h38B8U/s320/DSC03453+resize.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Hmm</span>...he listened to me, but he was a little more "helpful" than I expected.</span>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-46924115914836760242010-02-15T07:17:00.000-08:002010-04-27T14:47:04.376-07:00I almost didn't believe my eyes...<span style="font-size:130%;">Attention my fashionable mommies: get to your closest Babies R' Us right away! Cynthia <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Rowley</span> - CYNTHIA ROWLEY!! - has designed a line of baby clothes for them and they are adorable. Here is a picture of my daughter in the sweet pink sleeveless dress I got for her. The back of it is so cute and it flows out so nicely when I sit her down. I also saw tweed jackets for boys - unfortunately, they didn't have any in my son's size. Click <a href="http://www.toysrus.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=3731658">here</a> to check it out!</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S3iweCbptzI/AAAAAAAADpM/z82KAtp7IhQ/s1600-h/DSC03315+resize.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438290580145289010" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S3iweCbptzI/AAAAAAAADpM/z82KAtp7IhQ/s320/DSC03315+resize.JPG" /></a></span>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-77034541611908352002010-02-09T16:18:00.001-08:002010-02-11T09:44:34.096-08:00Room for four more in the delivery room?<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S3H757Hy-rI/AAAAAAAADo0/h99QcMYtC68/s1600-h/buried+life+resize.jpg"></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;">This is a new show on MTV that I love. It's a show about four guys who ask "What do you want to do before you die?" They made up their own list and travel all around, attempting to cross off each item and in addition, help a stranger with something they want to do. The most recent episode was "Deliver a Baby". They sit in with a couple about to have their first baby. Don't worry, an actual ob/gyn delivered the baby and the guys were just in the room helping to count while the mom was pushing. You can click <a href="http://www.mtv.com/videos/the-buried-life-ep-4-help-deliver-a-baby/1631480/playlist.jhtml">here</a> to see the episode. As a mom of two, it was so fun to see these guys' reactions to being in a delivery room and actually seeing the baby once he was born (one guy was particularly nervous, which made me laugh out loud). They had tears in their eyes and dropped jaws at seeing this tiny little baby that wasn't there one second and there the next. It just goes to show how the birth of a baby is such an amazing experience, even if you're not the parent. I'm mostly impressed with the mom who 1) let these four guys in the delivery room with her and 2) that she looked pretty fabulous right after she gave birth.</span></div>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-42923580457317779442010-01-31T16:12:00.000-08:002010-02-09T16:16:15.093-08:00Look familiar?<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S3H6c8HS_dI/AAAAAAAADos/tOYzQUwIc6s/s1600-h/DSC03241+resize.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5436401600292912594" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__RBYhAwBOEo/S3H6c8HS_dI/AAAAAAAADos/tOYzQUwIc6s/s320/DSC03241+resize.JPG" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;">My son has recently taken to storing his toys all over the house. Most recently it's been his cars stacked on the window sills. Do you have something similar at your house?</span></div>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-82257931567679033832010-01-20T15:47:00.000-08:002010-02-09T16:11:44.717-08:00Diaper changing cred<span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">This past week my husband and I took a walk with our kids to spend a relaxing morning at a local coffee shop. My daughter took her morning nap in the stroller, my son ate his snack and played with some toys the shop has, and my husband and I sat drinking our coffee in big armchairs and had a nice conversation. We were low on a couple things so we decided to walk back home and hop straight in the car to go to the store before we needed to be home for lunch and my son's afternoon nap. I fed my daughter at the shop and as her diaper was still empty we were excited to not have to walk back home only to go back up all the stairs to our apartment, take off shoes, change diapers, feed the baby, put shoes back on, and get everyone in their carseats before finally heading to the store, because, as you know, once you do all that, then there isn't time to get to the store with two kids in tow and get back before lunch. Then it happened. My son filled his diaper and it definitely needed to be changed. Stubborn as I am, I didn't want to ruin a once-in-a-childhood moment as we could just hop from our walk to the car with two little kids. So I grabbed a diaper and the wipes I keep in my purse and went into the bathroom. Of course, since we live in an urban neighborhood, there were no changing tables in the bathroom and there was no way I was going to have my son lie on the floor, even if I DID have a changing pad. So. I had him stand with his legs apart, pushed the pants to his shoes, took off the diaper, wiped him up (thank goodness it was fairly clean), put a new diaper on, and re-buttoned his jeans. TA-DA! I would like to thank my son for being extremely cooperative and for not trying to sit on the dirty floor with a bare bottom. Please feel free to share your proudest "I can't believe I just changed a diaper there!" story.</span>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-71441284558139510122010-01-11T14:23:00.000-08:002010-02-09T14:51:54.614-08:00She said WHAT?!<span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Last week my husband I were flipping through the channels and happened to land on the Jay Leno show. Kim <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Kardashian</span>, a reality show star, was being interviewed and, seeing as there was nothing else on, we just decided to watch it. Apparently she's now a germ-a-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">phob</span> and shared her recent experience on a plane. There was a five-year-old on the plane and he allegedly coughed right in her face. She turned to the kid's parents and said "Can you teach your child to cover his mouth?"</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Wait.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">What?</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">I can't believe she had the gall to say this to the kid's parents. I try to be very considerate when I'm out with my kids where ever we might be, apologizing if I bump someone or excusing myself when I'm pushing my colossal stroller through a crowded store. So, if this was my kid and I saw it, I would have apologized right away, reminded my kid to cover his mouth, offered hand sanitizer, etc. Even so. If someone told me to "teach my kid to cover his mouth", I probably would have fired back some very inappropriate response, which I'm sure would have inevitably made the rest of our flight rather uncomfortable. As parents, we're most always embarrassed by the things our kids wait until we're in public to do, but to say something TO the parent, which is, quite frankly, insulting to their actual parenting, is something I never would have done and would never do. I mean, you think it to yourself, of course (as I'm sure we all do when we're around someone <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">else's</span> unruly kids), but never voice it out loud. As a mom, I try to teach my two-year-old manners but, well, he's TWO and doesn't always remember, as I'm sure it was the case with this little boy. It's alright. Someday she'll have kids and she'll have someone say something like that to her and she'll be offended and will go on another talk show describing how "people without kids just don't get it". Have you ever had someone say something to you? Please share...</span>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6124549786266965341.post-31337618356137414412010-01-04T12:08:00.000-08:002010-02-09T14:52:13.424-08:00Mommies are Fabulous<span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">My name is Sarah and I'm a mommy. I have two kids: a son, 2, and a daughter, 6 months. I am incredibly fortunate to be able to stay at home with my children, and while they can drive me crazy at times, I love it. This is a blog I'm starting to post anecdotes from raising my children and to basically give my opinion on all things kid-related and otherwise. I like to think that I'm witty and clever with just a dash of dark humor (well, we'll see if I actually AM witty and clever) so hopefully other moms who read this blog can laugh and relate to my adventures and missteps. I'm also hoping that anyone without kids who reads this can appreciate that mommies are fabulous and will find humor, warped as it may be, in the poop stories that will inevitably follow.</span>Sarahnoreply@blogger.com0